A new study might show why American students do worse on standardized tests than their peers in countries like China, but it won’t come as a surprise to anyone who has worked with young people in this nation.
U.S. and Chinese researchers gave a math test to 15-year-olds in Shanghai, which has the world’s best scores on standardized math exams, and in the United States, which has the 36th-best scores. The test had 25 questions and students had 25 minutes to complete it.
Half the students just took the test, and the other half were unexpectedly given an envelope stuffed with 25 $1 bills right before the test began. They were told the money was theirs but that the researchers would take away $1 for every wrong answer. Students took the test on computers and got their payouts immediately after finishing the exam. The Chinese were paid an equivalent amount in their currency.
The results? The American students offered the cash reward did significantly better than the control group. In fact, the U.S. would jump from 36th to 19th in the world rankings based on the results of the students who were paid.
However, the Chinese students’ performance did not change if they got the money or not. They seem to be intrinsically motivated to do well in a way that the Americans were not.
In part, this phenomenon fits with our national character. We can hear the American students saying, “You’re going to tell me I have to take a math test for no reason? Forget that! Wait, there’s money involved? Give me that calculator!”
Most teachers and coaches will tell you that the bigger problem for them is motivating their students to achieve, not their students’ inherent ability. A little “want to” goes a long way.
If nothing else, the study shows we probably shouldn’t worry as much about American students’ relatively low performance on achievement exams compared to their international counterparts. When it comes to real-life, they can and will do it when their behavior is incentivized properly — that is, they need to make money in a job. That counts more than preparation in the classroom.
However, we would caution educators using this study to justify paying students for their performance on tests. For one thing, other studies have shown that the results drop off when there’s a longer gap between when students take the test and when they get paid. Some Mississippi school districts, for example, have paid students $50 or more when their achievement test results come back the next school year. That’s too long to make a difference to a young mind that responds to what’s in front of it now.
Also, it might be a better use of time and money to study why Chinese students are more motivated. We suspect it’s as simple as this: Their parents value education and push them to do well. If America adopted that attitude, most all of our education problems would disappear.
— Charlie Smith
